AIADMK, Congress create ruckus, Lok Sabha briefly adjourned

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) The opposition on Wednesday created a ruckus in Lok Sabha, with the AIADMK raising the issue of Aircel-Maxis deal linked to former finance minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti and the Congress asking the speaker to move its privilege motion notice against HRD Minister Smriti Irani.

Despite the din, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan conducted the question hour and allowed MPs to raise the issues for which they had given notices of privilege.

Soon after the house met AIADMK members trooped near the speaker’s podium shouting slogans and demanding action in the Aircel-Maxis issue.

Mahajan urged the AIADMK members to let the question hour get over before protesting. The AIADMK members returned to their seats but Congress MPs took their place saying the privilege motion against Smriti Irani be moved.

The Congress members raised slogans like “Smriti Irani should be Sacked” and “Bring Privilege Motion against Smriti Irani”.

Mahajan said: “The privilege notices given by some members are under my consideration. There is a procedure to bring privilege motion. This can’t be decided in the house. I am saying this because you members are new to this house.”

But the Congress members didn’t relent and continued with their protest. Trinamool Congress members Sudip Bandopadhyay and Saugata Roy and CPI-M’s Md. Salim also wanted to raise their issues but their voiced were drowned in the noise.

After question hour, the speaker, terming the case as a special one, allowed each member to speak about their privilege motion.

Congress member K.C. Venugopal said he had given notice to move the privilege motion against Smriti Irani for allegedly misleading the house over the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad.

Ranjita Ranjan (Congress) sought to know that how the HRD minister took her name in her reply on the Jawaharlal Nehru University issue and the Hyderabad suicide.

Saugata Roy (TMC) also spoke about his privilege motion against Smriti Irani on the same issue.

BJP chief whip Arjun Ram Meghwal objected to the allegations against Smriti Irani saying the house should believe her as she was the minister.

Meanwhile, the speaker allowed Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to speak but he raised the allegedly communal remarks made by union minister Ram Shankar Katheria in Agra.

Mahajan said she had allowed the members to speak only on their privilege motions. “Nothing will go on record. This is not the privilege motion.”

Congress members objected to it and made some remarks against the speaker. She then adjourned the house for 10 minutes till 12.30.

Katheria on Sunday attended a condolence meeting held for VHP worker Arun Mahaur, who was shot in Agra, and reportedly made remarks deemed to be communal in nature.